Germicidal bed apparatus for bedridden patients



E. SOKOLIK March 13, 1956 GERMICIDAL BED APPARATUS FOR BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17, 1952 INVENTOR.

March 13, 1956 E. SOKOLIK 2,737,695

GERMICIDAL BED APPARATUS FOR BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS Filed March 17, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent GERMICIDAL BED APPARATUS FOR BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS Edward Sokolik, New Brighton, Minn. 7 Application March 17, 1952, Serial No. 276,945

1 Claim. (Cl. 21-74) My present invention relates to germicidal bedstead apparatus for bedridden (such as tubercular) patients, more particularly for patients under treatment in tubercular sanitariums.

A disadvantage of the present day sanitariums is that the exhaled air of the collective patients is homogenized and reinhaled by the patients and all other personnel associated with the patients, many of whom get infected.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a germicidal bed apparatus for use primarily in tubercular sanitarium's, whereby the tubercular air exhaled by the patient is germicided as exhaled and simultaneously suctioned by an electrically driven fan or by the heating system and/or heating and air circulating system in which the exhaled air is preferably further conditioned by filtering, germiciding, degasifying and deodorizing, and finally homogenized with medicinal and aromatic fumes or vapors, an invention filed for under separate application Serial No. 336,749 filed February 13, 1953.

A further object is to provide the patients bed with an adjustable inverted tunnel to receive, and exhaust the exhaled air and to carry a germicidal lamp in the confines for germiciding the bedding around the patients head.

Still further object is to provide a patients bedstead with a flexible tubular air discharge conduit connected to the conduits of the heating and/or heating and air circulating system, thereby not only exhausting the air directly as exhaled by the patient, but permitting the bedto, be movedfrom one place to another in the ward or room;'

Another object is to provide a bed designed so that the patient may be attended from either side thereof and designed to exhaust the exhaled air as exhaled and to exhaust some air from near the ceiling above the.

patients head that may partially be contaminated tubercularly;

Still another object is to provide the patients bed with means for circulating the exhaled and germicided air in the ward or room, when it is not desired to circulate the air through the heating and/or heating and circulating system.

In accordance with the aforementioned objects and other objects that will ,be apparent as the description progresses, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what isclaimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates a front view of the apparatus with fragmental sections. p

Fig.2 illustrates a side view of the apparatus with fragmental sections.

Fig. 3 is a view of the air receiving and conveying inverted funnel on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view on line 4-4, Fig. 1.

Y 19 or the germicidal lamp means 15 and 16, which in- Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line 5-5, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a cross-section on line 6-6, Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a cross-section on line 7-7, Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the head hood.

Fig. 9 is a side view of the head hood.

Fig. 10 is a vertical section of one of the tubular tiernembers showing the germicidal lamp disposed therein.

Fig. 11 is an end view of Fig. 10 showing the germicidal lamp mounted therein in a bracket.

Fig. 12 is a view on line 12-12, Fig. 1 showing the plate-like member with its slideways, the trough-like member mounted in the slideways and the inverted air funnel connected to the lower end of the trough-like member.

In the head end-frame of the bedstead 13, as shown, is embodied a vertical and horizontal system of tubular air conduits shown in Fig. 1. vided with ultra violet germicidal lamps 15 and 16 electrically equipped, whereby the bacteria in the infectious exhalations are germicided as they flow through the ultra violet rays thereof in said conduits 14.

Cooperating with this system of air conduits 14, is an inverted funnel 17, preferably vertically slideable and disposed above the patients head, adapted to convey the exhalations as exhaled by the patient thereinto; a flexible tubular conduit 18 for conveying the germ-free air from the system of tubular air conduits 14 into the heating and/ or heating and air circulatory system, not shown; suction means associated with the said circulatory system for producing a flow of air into the funnel 17 and through the air conduits 14 and educting the germ-free air into the circulatory system and/or separate means for producing a flow of air associated directly with the air conduits 14 and educting the germ-free air into the patients ward.

This separate means may be an electrically driven fan herently produces a limited flow of air in cooperation with the function of germiciding.

Also cooperating with the aforesaid devices of the apparatus, is a germicidal lamp 20 arranged in the inverted funnel 17 and cooperating with the ultra violet ray impenetrable head hood 21 in sterilizing the linen about the patients head.

Comprised in the system of conduits 14, are the two bedstead pedestals 22 and 23 which are tubular in the upper portions thereof to afford fines for the conveyance of exhalations therethrough, and two horizontally superposed tubular tie-conduits 24 and 25, which have the innersurface thereof preferably of reflective characteristics to cooperate better with the ultra violet lamps 15 and 16.

The horizontal conduits 24 and 25 tubularly intersect.

the pedestals 22 and 23 so that tubular end-portions 26,

like or similar to the transverse scope of the tie-conduits 24 and 25, are projected from the remote or opposite closed by a plug or preferably a cap 32. The end-pop.

tions 26 of the lower tie-conduits 24 are likewise closed -with caps 33. The cap 32 and caps 33 are preferably screw-threadedly applied and may be provided with apertures for electrical wires leading to the germicidal lamps 15 or 16. Wires (not shown) may connect the lamps 15 and 16 and may be disposed outside or inside one or both of the tubular pedestals 22 and 23. The lower tie- These air conduits are pro- 3 conduits 24 is provided with an air inlet vent 36 preferably in the middle and front thereof.

The pedestals 22 and 23 are, each preferably, open at the top ends thereof and preferably provided with small funnels 37- and valves 38*therebeneath and valves 39 and 40 disposed between the-tie-conduits 24 and 25. One or both of the pedestals '22 and 23 are also provided with an outlet duct 41 provided w'itha valve 42, and with an electrically driven fan 19 and a valve 43 connecting said ,fan 19 with the end-portion-26 offlthe tie-conduits 25. A bracket 44 supporting a pulley 45 is also fastened to the upper portion of one of the pedestals 22 or 23. Cleats 46 are provided on the'lower portion'of one or both of the pedestals 22 and 23.

A support tie-member 47 extendsbetween the pedestals 22 and 23 and is secured thereto near the upper end-portions thereof and is provided generally in the middle thereof with a pulley 48. The lower portions of the pedestals 22 and 23 are preferably provided with tie-members 49. Connecting this tubular conduit system 14 to theheating system and/or heating and air circulating system, is a flexible tubular conduit 18. It is interposed "between the valve 42 on the outlet duct 41 and the dual elbows 50 and 51 flexibly swingably connected to each other by the coupling 52 and together connected toa conduit at 53 of the air clrculating system. This manner of connection facilitates moving the bed about the ward. Anoutlet duct like duct 41 may also be provided on the other pedestal 23 to pitersrgiit the bed to be on eitherside of the conduitindicated a Provided with this tubular conduit system 14 isthe inverted funnel 17 provided with trough-like spout 54, disposed above the patientshead adjacent the front side of the tubular conduits 14. The funnel 17 receives the air as exhaled and the spout 54' conveys the same into the inlet vent 36 in the lower tubular tie-conduits 24. This combined funnel 17 and spout 54 are preferably adjustable vertically to facilitate the suctioning of the exhaled air, as

indicated by arrows, whenlowered and to facilitate nursmg the patient, when raised. For this purpose the front side of the tubular system of conduits .14is provided with an elongated rigid sheet 55ofsuitable materialextending up and down. The lower portion of this sheetmay be widened to providean air apron in which case the funnel 17 would not have to be provided with a wide apron 56. T1118 apron affords an air barrier between theexhaled air and the air behind the conduit system 14 to facilitate the suctioning off the exhaled air into the funnel 17 The upper or narrower portion oflthe sheet 55 hastheedges 5.7 thereof preferably folded to form therein slideways. 58 (Fig. The trough-like spout54is, preferably, semi.- crrcular in vertical-section and provided with flanges 59 alongits longitudinaledges. I hese fianges59 slide in the slideways 58. The air is suctioned into the vent 36 whether the spout54 is inraised orlowered position. The lower or openend of the spout 54 has preferably an outer flange 60 for securing thereto the bell of the funnel 17.

The bell of the funnel 1.7 .has preferably a semi-circular vertical skirt 61 and a top 62 .curving and merging into the skirt 61. The vertically-sectionalside of the bell of the funnel 17 may beprovided with a plane sheet 56 which 1s shown to extend down to the side members ,63'of the bed, when in raised position. The raising and lowering is accomplished by a cord, cable or chain 64 or thelike fastened to the eye 65 or to the closed top end of the spout 54. The other end of the cord may be provided with-a hand-piece 66. The cord64 is fastened to one of the cleats 46 when-the funnel -17 is at thedesiredheight. This funnel '17 is secured' to th'e'flange 60 of'the spout 54- by'rivetmeans'67extending through the'top 62. A germicidal lamp '20 is'secured to'the" underside of the top 62 and is preferably operated by means of a safety switch. A. head. hood 21 generally of conoidal shape and .of material impermeable by germicidal rays and provided with an air vent 68 inaccessible by the rays, is disposed over the patients head during the process of sterilizing the linen about the patients head by the germicidal lamp 20. For this reason the conoidal type of hood 17 as described is preferable to a hood with pitched top and no skirt, because the attendant is not so apt to get burned by the ultra violet rays of the germicidal lamp 20.

Operation Operably, if the flexible air discharge conduit 18 and the fan 19 are connected to the pedestal 22, and the tubular air conduit system 14 of the head end-frame of the bed, is to convey the air through the heating and/or heating and air circulating system of the building, and not by and through the fan 19 back into the ward, the valve 39 and valve '43-are closed and the rest of the valves are open, these are, the two valves 38, valve 42 and valve 40. A fan in the air circulating system of the building suctions the infected air into funnel 17 as indicated by arrows, thence through the spout 54 into the lower-tubular tieconduits 24 through the vent 36 therein, thence through the valve 40 into the upper tie-conduits 25, the .upper tubular portion of the pedestal 22 and finally throughthe discharge conduit 18 into the air circulating system of the building. The infected air is germicided as it flows through the tie-conduits 24-and 25 by the germicidal lamps 15 and 16 respectively disposed therein. These lamps. 15 and 16 are'mounted preferably in brackets disposed in'the ends of the conduits 24 and 25 and are removable .for the purpose of 'wiping off accumulated dirt on the lamps and in'the conduits. If the air is to be circulated in-the ward by the fan 19, the valve 42 is closed and the valve 43-opened.

What I clairnis:

A bedstead adapted for use with patients havinginfectious exhalations, including in the head end-framelof the bedstead, tubular air conduit means provided with ultra violet-ray lamp means, electrically equipped, said conduit means-having an air inlet leading to the lamp means :and an air outlet leading from the lamp means and communicating with means for'producing a fiow of air throughzthe air conduit means; a hemi-funnel superposed above the patients headto facilitate the conveyance of the patients exhalations' into the said hemi-funnel, said hemi-funnel being in air-flow communication with the air inlet and adapted to be adjustably elevated, and including a hemibell portion and a hemi-spout portion closed at the .free

end thereof, but having the hemi-side open and in air' flow communication with the air inlet at any predetermined elevation of said hemi-funnel, said hemi-spout having edges adapted to afford vertical slide means; air baflle extending vertically along the end-frame and having an opening adapted --to registerwith the said air inlet and having edges adapted to afford vertical adaptedslideably -toc0operate with the slide means-ofthc hemi-spout; means mechanically in communication'with the hemi-funnel and adapted to be manually operable thereby to elevatethe hemi-funnel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 909,002 Lambert J an. 5, 1909 2,333,663 Olson Oct. 26,1943 2,347,954 Kiely May 2, 19.44 2,359,057 Skinner Sept. 2 6 19,44

FOREIGN PATENTS 29,119 Great Britain of 1911' slide means 

